Generation Geostigma Final Fantasy 7 Ch 1
by Intwilight
Summary: Four years have gone by since Kadaj and his brothers, and since then, after a coup, a new president of ShinRa is destroying the clones. Jacob Hunt, a 16 yearold boy, works at Seventh Heaven, but how long can he avoid the truth in his world and out?
1. Chapter 1

A small hand closed itself around the branch of bush, slowly moving the twigs out of the way. The shrub quivered violently as the boy hiding behind it shivered with fear. His veins were creaks of ice water, breath the mists hanging over that cold stream, and terrified eyes the moon shining a cold blue down onto the slowly moving water.

The boy sucked in air, taking it in in large gasping rasps. He had been running and running for a very long time, and now there was no place left to run. Nowhere to hide.

The only thing he could see beyond the small bush he called a hiding spot was the dirty gravel illuminated by the stars on this moonless night. And against the moonless backdrop stood dark figures of men, ShinRa soldiers, marching in their straight line, coming for him.

"Brother," the boy whimpered, brushing away a few tears now building up, "where are you?" But his brother was nowhere to be found. This five year old boy was left alone to hide, not knowing what was going on. Not knowing why he was being hunted. Not knowing why he was going to die.

Three gunshots rallied into the night air, disrupting the heavy silence of night. The boy uttered a small cry, and quickly shoved a fist in his mouth to stifle the sound, eyes wide with fright. The damage was already done.

"Over there!" He heard somebody close by snap. The boy slowly began to shuffle backwards on the ground, whimpering and breathing heavier than before, tears dribbling to his shirt. His hands moved backward, propelling his scrambling body away from the guards and gunfire.

Just then , two firm and powerful hands reached into the bush and lifted him upwards with ease. The child issued a long and petrified wail like a stuck pig.

"Lem'me go!" He screamed, kicking widely, "Put me down! Please!" He pleaded, banging on the tall man's back with his tiny hands. "Please put me down! Please! Jac-"

* * *

"Jacob! Jacob! Come play with me Jacob!" Kes, a bright eyed and stringy haired seven-year-old girl, tugged at the sleeve of her desired playmate. Jacob grinned and felt slightly sheepish, not at all in the mood to play piggy back when so tired worn down.

"I can't," He said in apologetic tones, trying to keep the pout off of her lips. He had a hard time saying 'no' to the pout of death as Marlene called it. Jacob had a soft spot for kids, but for now he'd have to put the guilt aside and continue on with his washing of dishes.

"But Jakey!" She whined, stamping her pocket sized foot on the ground and furthering her tugging. A few other children gathered around, interestedly watching.

"Come on Jakey!" A small six-year-old boy joined in. "You can stop a few minutes!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Agreed another, her voice rising up excitedly. "Only a few minutes? Please?"

"Please? Pretty please?" Kes whined on. Jacob felt slightly lost as for what to do next. He didn't want to say no and hurt their feelings, but if he didn't get these dishes done pronto, he'd have to answer to a higher authority, be it Tifa, or worse, Barret.

"I can't-" he tried again, but was overwhelmed by the tug and pull of small fists on his shirt sleeve.

"But Jakey!"

"Please!"

"Sorry," came a soft voice from the doorway. A few small heads turned around to look at who spoke. "Jakey is busy with chores." It was Marlene, she smiled at the kids extending a hand outward to them. "Come on, let him be."

"B-but he hasn't played all day! It's not fair he can't play!" Kes argued to Marlene in her squeaky voice.

"He can play later, but right now he's busy." She said as fairly and gently as possible, her smile warm and soft, dimples digging into each cheek.

"B-but-"

Marlene shakes her head. "No buts. I don't like to put my foot down, but I'm going to have to. Now come on." A few kids look forlornly at their enslaved comrade whose hands awkwardly were going back to the pot he had been cleaning.

"We'll save you soon Jakey!" Kes hissed in a voice she was sure could not be heard across the room.

"See you later." Jacob said to the flock of disappointed orphans. Marlene made sure each one of the little tadpoles were out before turning to talk to Jacob.

"You want to become a missionary, but you can't even say no to a bunch of kids?" She laughs a little bit, hand coming up to cover her grinning mouth.

"Yeah, well, you try tackling all of them at once." Jacob defended himself, taking a dry rag to the wet pot as he did so.

"I just did." She points out. Marlene was fourteen years old, black haired, and shy by nature. She was the adopted daughter of Barret Wallace, leader of the group AVALANCHE. Her face was still rounded with a little bit of childhood, but slowly it began to fade. Her hands were folded over a crisp blue dress, new. She was a magnet for all the children in Seventh Heaven, their orphanage, and a role model for many. She too had grown up under Tifa's care, just like them.

Jacob Hunt was sixteen and an aspiring missionary and peace bringer for a local church. While his dream to become a missionary was still pending, he busied himself with helping Tifa take care of the orphans in the city. His own parents lived on the other side of the city, proud of their only son and his dreams. Jacob had brown hair, short and a little uneven in places. His clothes, at least around the orphanage, were a little baggy, ragged, and well suited for rough housing around. Jacob had been with the orphanage for years now, five or more.

"Besides," Marlene continued, sitting herself down on a stool by a counter, "it's about time you learned to stick up for yourself."

"And you're telling me this...?" Jacob raised an eyebrow at her over his shoulder. Marlene sighed.

"If you want to work with Cloud in saving the Clones, you need to at least be able to say _no_ and mean it." The girl had a point. This time it was Jacob's turn to sigh.

"I know, I know." He muttered, tossing the moist rag to a corner of the sink. He turned to face Marlene, folding his arms over his chest. "I just-"

"It's okay," she said gently, "I know. We all do. We understand, but you have to get over yourself sometime." Her voice dropped low, to a gentle and soothing tone. Jacob didn't feel at all calmed by this, only a little more agitated and put out. He shakes his head slowly, thinking, fading off to some remote area of his mind . "You look tired." Ms. Wallace observes. Jacob starts, blinking and coming around.

"Do I?" He says, a little dazed. Marlene nods. The boy swallows and gropes behind him for the towel, wanting to continue with the chores. "Didn't sleep well." He shortly says before she has a chance to pry.

"No?" Her voice takes a note of concern. "Why?" The dreaded question.

"Just-" Jacob searches for a word sufficient enough to please her, and yet not enough to give anything much away. "dreams." He finally pushes out.

"Oh." She says in an understanding way. Jacob knew she knew what he was talking about, and was slightly relieved by it. That meant he wouldn't need to relive it anymore than he already had to. "You know," she starts up again, a little brighter, "those dreams can't be all that bad. Can they? I mean, there's at least some good in having them."

"You crazy?" Jacob laughs a little. Marlene shrugs, her sudden brightness fading away. There was nothing more said on the matter of dreams.

Just then the door swung wide and both speakers looked up to greet Denzel who was about Marlene's age, although, nobody knew for sure.

"Hey," he said in his slightly shy and awkward voice, fidgeting a little.

"Hey yourself." Marlene smiled over at him. He grinned, a little relieved, face relaxing.

Denzel had been left without parents after the meteor nearly hit Midgar years before, and since then had been under Marlene's care. They were friends, but more like brother and sister. Marlene had become his surrogate mother and sibling much the same way that Tifa had helped to take care of Marlene in her childhood. Even still, Denzel could not seem to fill that empty place where his family once was, and some part of him still seemed closed off. It showed up in his interaction with others, shy and uncertain as though he thought they too would leave him. Only Marlene seemed to know how to make him breath easy, a gift Jacob admired in her.

Denzel's eyes were a soft brown, rather glazed and distant most of the time. His hair was short, brown, and a little wavy. He too was shedding his child's body for a more grown up one, but something about him still seemed so young even as his features matured.

"Hey, Jacob," he said, turning his attention to the older boy.

"Yeah?" Jacob said with a nod in Denzel's direction.

"Tifa, she, um, needs you to go into town." He slowly pulled out a note from a pant pocket, carefully unfolding it. Denzel walked to Jacob and handed him the note. It was immediately sodden with water as Jacob's hands touched it.

"Damn"muttered Jacob and wiped his hands on his pants before attempting to take the note again. Denzel stood awkwardly beside Jacob, curious as to what Jacob had to do in town, but too shy to say or do anything about it. Marlene smiles, trying to offer some encouragement into the timid boy. Denzel slowly grins back, eyes brightening.

"What does it say?" He inquires, so bold as to actually lean around to look over Jacob's shoulder and read. Jacob shakes his head.

"Nothing interesting," he muttered with a sigh, "just have'ta go pick up a few things for Cloud's return is all."

"Oh," Denzel says, disappointed.

"But when I do get an adventure, " Jacob offers up, "you'll be the first to know. 'kay?" Denzel's face lights and he nods.

"Alright, promise?"

"Sure, I mean, yeah, I promise." Jacob folds the shopping list over a few times, and he shuts off the running tap water.

"Going now?" Marlene walks a little closer, crossing her arms. "You still have other things to do." Jacob shrugs.

"Yeah, I have other chores, but when you work here, you always have things to do."

"True enough."

"Hey Jacob," Denzel pipes up.

"Hm?" Jacob looks to Denzel who is slipping on a pair of gloves.

"I can take over this for you."

"Y-you sure?" Jacob stammers, a little confused. "I can do it when I get back, I mean, you got things to do too." Denzel shakes his head.

"No, I'm all done." It was a lie, Jacob knew, but he didn't try to talk Denzel out of it any further. There was something in Denzel's face, a sort of satisfaction and sense of duty, that Jacob did not want to disturb. The boy, it seemed, wanted to help Jacob, and by doing that, Denzel felt he belonged. It wasn't Jacob's right to tell him no and ruin that feeling.

"Thanks." Jacob smiles in appreciation and turns to leave the room, heading out into the hall.

"Jakey!" I was Kes and her band of playmates. "You free now Jakey?"

"Sorry Kes," Jacob ruffled her hair as he walked past her, "got another job to do."

"Awwww," she whined.

"Sorry, I promise to play with you guys later, but now I need to get some things." Jacob took some money from under a potted plant and stuffed the gil into his pockets. "See you!" He waved and departed.

* * *

"Here," Jacob dug out the small shopping list and pointed to an item on the paper for the clerk to see. "this one, not that one."

"Oh!" The clerk nodded and grinned. "Strange order. Not many people get that anymore. Very expensive." Jacob said nothing as the man behind the weapon shop counter ducked off to get something for Cloud's Buster sword. Jacob wasn't sure what it was exactly; he had never seen it before. But every time Cloud came back from one of his missions, Tifa always sent Jacob to pick it up, but never told him what it was.

"Here," the man put the wrapped up whatever into Jacobs waiting hands after receiving the right amount of gil. "Take care of this. Do not drop it." He cautioned. Jacob irritably nodded, fed up with all this shopping.

As the agitated teenager made to leave, he stopped suddenly, seeing who were by the door, standing just outside. Two ShinRa soldiers stood outside, talking, sending glances into the room as though wanting to enter.

_"What do I do?"_ Jacob thought frantically, panic rising. _"What do I say?"_

"Need something else?" The stingy clerk asked, noticing how Jacob was just standing there stupidly in the middle of his store. "Forgot something?"

"No." Jacob answered shortly, shaking his head. Staying in there would cause more suspicion than leaving. Careful to leave without drawing to much attention to himself, Jacob stepped out into Midgar.

"Hey, you!" Barked a soldier almost immediately. Jacob's insides clenched and unclenched as the guard grabbed his soldier, keeping him from making a dash for it.

"Yes?" Jacob swung around to face the two beady eyed and suspicious looking men. "What is it? I got'ta be heading home fast."

"With those?" The man who grabbed Jacob jabbed a finger into the package and snickered a little. "We saw you coming out of that Seventh Heaven orphan home just now," he began smugly. Swallowing hard, the boy tried to look innocent, but knew he was doing a terrible job of it.

"Y-you sure it was me?" He stammered. The guard laughed.

"We are sure!" The other snapped. "And we know Cloud Strife hangs out there. Him _ and _ his friends."

Jacob shrugged and glanced nervously over his shoulder as though begging for somebody to save him.

"You know anything about a Mr. Cloud Strife? He's wanted you know." The smug one said slyly. "Nice fat reward on his head from the president of ShinRa. Could make a boy like you very wealthy."

"N-no sir. I don't know anything about him. I just do a few chores here and there for them is all. Don't even know his name." Jacob's voice paused for breath many times as he said this, face growing redder, words rising upward. He was a terrible liar.

"You sure about that?" The other said, glowering into Jacob's pale and petrified face.

"Y-yeah. Can I go?" His voice was antsy and he took a step back.

"No-good kid. Get!" The ShinRa man laughed and pushed Jacob away as though swatting a fly. Jacob obliged without further word to either of the men, heart hammering. Had they all been found out?

_"I need Tifa-"_ he thought desperately and ran back to Seventh Heaven.


	2. Chapter 2

Jacob ran back to Seventh Heaven as fast as his legs would put up with. All the way he kept glancing over his shoulder, feeling panicked and as though he had done something wrong. Over and over, the conversation he had had replayed in his frantic mind, and something he had said, something he had done, didn't seem right. Somehow, he had messed up.

Jacob banged open the front door which shook in the frame, quivering back and forth with a slight creaking moan. The boy bent over, gasping in air as fast as lungs could handle so he could tell Tifa, or somebody who'd listen, everything. A few children had uttered great cries of alarm, a few crying or sniffling cries, as Jacob had beat down the door to get in.

"Jakey!" One complained as she wiped her terrified eyes free of tears. "Jakey, don't do that!"

"S-scary!" One little boy giggled a little.

"S-sorry guys." Panted Jacob, chest still heaving violently. Jacob's cheeks were a flushed red, sweat trickled down to sting his eyes, but he still managed to slap on a grin large enough to calm the kids. He didn't want to scare them with tales of suspicious ShinRa soldiers.

"Can you play now?" Kes had come up and was tugging at his sleeve again, almost enough to upset the package in his arms.

"No... he can't." A voice came from the stair. Jacob looked up to see a boy standing there, young, maybe ten, his hair as white and perfect as newly fallen snow. His eyes were a faded and dusty blue, scary to look into for any amount of time longer than three minutes, and his pale skin contrasted against the faded brown wood of Seventh Heaven.

"When did you get up, Dekel?" Jacob asked, straightening up. Dekel came further down the stairs, running his hand back and forth with boredom along the stair rail.

"Can't sleep today." He said simply and glanced almost shyly up at Jacob but said no more on the subject. Jacob slowly nodded as though understanding what Dekel was saying, although he wasn't entirely sure.

"You're too busy talking with those _ friends _ of yours?" One boy snickered, and a few other kids began to giggle madly, stuffing their fists into their mouths to stifle the sound. Dekel immediately grew defensive, cheeks and eyes blazing.

"Stop it!" He whined, building himself up to his full height, sticking his head in the air as though to see over a crowd. "You don't know anything about anything!"

"Not our fault you're as crazy as they come!" A girl cooed. More giggling followed. Tears began to prick at Dekels eyes.

"Stop it!" He shook his head madly from side to side. "You guys are _stupid_!"

"Hey, guys, lay off!" Jacob snapped. The children stopped at once, turning to stare confusedly at Jacob. He never shouted at them for anything, and this sudden change in personality startled them too much to continue their teasing. "Leave him be!" There was an awkward silence, and then one boy slowly began to pipe up.

"N-not our fault he's nuts." He muttered, taking a risk by doing this. Immediately every head turned to Jacob to see his reaction.

"What was that?!" Jacob shouted, the intense urge to protect Dekel driving him to yell. There was dead silence. Not a child stirred or even dared to breathe.

"You guys will be sorry!" Dekel suddenly screamed making everyone jump clean out of their skins. Tears ran from his blue eyes, running the course of his face to plop onto the wooden floor below. "You'll all be sorry! She'll get you one day! All of you! You'll see!" With that, the ten-year-old spun clean around and raced up the stairs, feet pounding against the wood.

"What's going on in there?" came a hurried voice. "Ah, Jacob, you got all I wanted alright?" It was Tifa looking tired and fed up, Marlene at her heals with Denzel right behind her.

"Yeah, got it." He held up the package and an arm dangling with other groceries.

"What's the fuss?" Tifa looked at the kids who looked so shell-shocked you'd think they'd been to the moon and back. "Hmmmmm?" She carried on.

"I-it was Dekel again!" One girl said. "He started it!" She pounded her foot against the floor in agitation.

"Yeah, he came down here and-" Jacob cut across the next boy who spoke.

"He came down and did nothing." He finished for the boy who instantly clammed up. "You all bit his head off before that." Jacob was still fuming. Tifa looked around from guilty face to guilty face, hers a little sympathetic but bothered at the same time.

"I think I told you guys to leave him alone." She scolded, folding her arms across her chest. "Now look what you did." She sighed.

"But he's so _weird_!" One girl exploded. "Not our fault he talks to things. Or says he does."

"Let him be." Tifa shook her head angrily. "No, he's not like you, but that doesn't mean you can persecute him for it."

"What does pers-persootoot mean?" One little girl innocently asked, cocking her head to the side. Tifa smiled.

"It means to bully somebody. Don't bully Dekel. Leave him alone. He's got enough to worry about." Tifa unfolded her arms. "We clear?"

"Yes ma'am." The kids chorused.

"Good, now go, and I want every one of you to apologize when Dekel gets down here." The kids ran off, some muttering under their breath. Tifa heaved another sigh and looked to Jacob. "Now," she started over with a smile, "you look like you have something on your mind...?"

"Yeah," Jacob nodded vigorously.

"How important is it?" Tifa glanced over her shoulder into the kitchen.

"Very. Least I think it is." Jacob felt antsy again. Tifa nodded once and looked at Denzel and Marlene.

"Can I trust you two to finish dinner?" She asked. Marlene nodded.

"You know you can!" She beamed. Tifa grinned in appreciation.

"Get going you two. I need things done for when Cloud gets back. Barret is off to greet them already."

"Alright." Denzel said and inched back into the kitchen with Marlene trailing behind.

"So," Tifa looked back at Jacob, her eyes steely and questioning, "tell me everything."

Jacob and Tifa sat down in the living area, well, not really a living/family room; it was less homely than one might think and messy, no real personal feeling or space to it with dilapidated furniture, but it _did _have comfortable chairs. However, neither Jacob nor Tifa fell to distraction as they sat down in those comfortable chairs. Jacob jumped right into his tale, not hesitating a moment despite his nervousness, and he, with an ashamed knot building in his heart, described his lack of skill in throwing off the two men.

"I-I didn't mean to sound so..." He reached of a word, "...so suspicious, but I was nervous. You know I can't lie, even when I need to. I just can't." Jacob's tone was pleading. Tifa sat back in her chair, folding one leg over the next, deep in thought.

"It wouldn't matter anyhow." She said at length, eyes darting to meet Jacobs, and there was something startling in her eyes that Jacob didn't like. A cold stone floated from Jacob's throat to settle in his fluttering stomach. "They already know." She heaved a sigh.

"W-will they come?" Jacob asked, voice quivering as his nerves shot through the roof. His hands kneaded nervously at his pant legs.

Slowly, Tifa nodded. Jacob let out a long low breath, sinking back into his chair. This was it.

"You know what to do," Tifa suddenly said, eyes ablaze. "We can't let them win." A small smirk touched her lips, and Jacob was a little startled at how easily she could smile.

"You're not thinking about-"

"Can't let them get the children. Not Dekel..." Tifa stood up and looked down at Jacob. "As soon as you can, get Terace up here and make him watch the kids. I need you to clear the escape way. After that, get up here and clear the place out. You know where to meet." She turned.

"Tifa...!" He issued a small cry, insides squirming so bad he felt sick. "Tifa, where are you-"

"Can't let Cloud and the clones in yet, you know that!" She grinned and cupped a hand on Jacob's shoulder, squeezing it gently. "You'll get them through this. I know you will." Tifa's eyes sparkled for a moment, and then she was gone, running out the door, pulling on her leather fighting gloves as she went.

Jacob stood up, shaking slightly. This was all happening too fast. Too fast to understand. He had only just finished his story. And what about after he cleared out Seventh Heaven? What then? And he couldn't lead a team of children out of Midgar and escape the ShinRa! He had practiced it, the escape, with Tifa and a few other AVALANCHE members, but had never expected to ever _use _his training. It was dangerous the hidden passage, cutting right into the sewers. Jacob's heart was beating so fast he was sure it would burst. What to do?

"Terace!" He screamed. "Terace! Marlene! Denzel!" He shouted each name, his cry a little alien to his own ears. They needed to know, and Terace, even though he was an irresponsible bum, had a job to do. "Ter-" he was about to start his wild scream again when the kitchen door banged open. Marlene and Denzel skidded out to meet him, a small wave of children behind them, each bringing the wafting smell of chicken and garlic out into the hall.

"What, what, what?!" Marlene said with eyes wide with concern. "You yelled!?"

"What's all that racket?!" snaps a voice from the basement door. "What's goin' on?" Terace stood, all eighteen years of him, in the door, eyes bleary from a nap. He was Cid's cousin's son who was a bit rough around the edges. His tousled blond hair covered part of his face obscuring one navy eye. A dusting of freckles littered his face, and he always had a slightly disheveled look about him. It was a wonder that he had never touched an ounce of liquor in all his life because he could be about as reckless as a drunk sometimes.

"Jacob?" Denzel's very pale face turned to stare at Jacob's own meek one. "Where's Tifa?"

"Come 'ere, all of you. All but the kids I mean." Ignoring the question, Jacob beckoned to the three others who approached Jacob.

"This had better be damned important, kid!" Terace snapped, crossing his arms. "I was 'sleep when you started all that yellin'."

"Yeah, I got dinner going, and Tifa will be so mad if it's not done." Marlene looked edgily back over her shoulder as though begging to go back in there and finish. Disobeying Tifa was sin to Marlene. Jacob breathed in deep, sweat breaking out over his forehead. Impatiently, he brushed it all away.

"Tifa has gone to tell Cloud and them not to come." As Jacob said this he noticed the look of confusion building in each face, well, everybody's but Terace's. He never looked like he could give a damn over anybody but himself.

"Why?" Denzel said and nervously began to chew at one fingernail.

"Yeah, why's aunty Tifa not hewe?" Said one little three-year-old, mispronouncing the _r_ in here. Jacob really hadn't bothered to lower his voice much.

"Well-" Jacob started but Terace cut him dead.

"This it?" He muttered in a quiet voice which was rather uncharacteristic. Jacob stared long and hard at him, and nodded. Marlene pursed her lips and Denzel began to work even harder at his fingernail.

"Terace, you got'ta look after these kids here while I, er, go get our ticket out'ta here ready." Jacob instructed each, his voice dropping. "Marlene, get the kids fed. Don't worry about Cloud and Tifa and all them right now. They aren't coming back, and it will be awhile before our next meal I think." Marlene slowly nodded.

"'kay." She whispered.

"Denzel, you'll need to get the weapons ready. We're gonna have'ta be ready to protect the kids. They can't fight." Denzel nodded, dropping his chewed up finger to his side.

"I can do that." He said, voice a little more steady than Jacob would have thought it would be.

"When do we go?" Terace said. "I can't keep 'em all under control for that long. They don't like me at all." He snickered a little.

"Try being a little nicer and maybe they would." Marlene said in cool tones, giving Terace a condescending glance.

"Don't tell me off little miss!" He barked, temper flaring immediately. "Don't see what your big deal is. Not your orders to keep 'em all under control."

"I'm putting warm food in their bellies! That's more than what you do any day!" She retorted. Terace opened his mouth to retaliate but Jacob had had enough.

"Shut up!" He shouted, on wits end. The two shut it, but stood in angry silence.

"Jake said a bad word!" Gasped Kes, putting her hands over her mouth.

"Yes I did," Jacob said to her, "and that was bad of me. Sorry." He looked back at everybody and gave a nod. "Get to it. I'll get Dekel down here and go get the passage cleared up and ready." Terace shoved his hands in his pockets and sat down in a chair. Marlene bustled off to finish dinner, and Dekel ran off to do his job.

"You kids stay in here!" Terace shouted. "I ain't chasing none of you down. Can get kidnapped for all I care." Jacob hurried upstairs.

Gingerly, Jacob knocked on Dekel's door, waiting for the voice on the other side to allow him entrance. It took a few tries, but finally Jacob got his answer.

"Go away," came the voice.

"It's Jacob," there was a pause.

"What is it? What do you want?" came the sulky voice again. Jacob paused, and slowly he put his hand to the knob and tried to twist it. It was locked.

"You need to come downstairs. Dinner..." Jacob said vaguely.

"Liar," Said Dekel, and soft footsteps echoed from behind the locked door. A small click later, the door was open and Dekel's white haired head poked out from around the door. "Dinner is never this early. Not when we have guests." Dekel was a sharp boy, part of the reason why Jacob liked him so much. Since Jacob's own brother had died, Dekel had sort of taken that place in Jacob's heart. The two shared a bond like brother and brother, and Dekel even looked like Jacob's late sibling. The really light hair, blue eyes, even the way they talked was the same. "If you want me to come," said the boy, coming a little further out of his room, "please, tell me the truth." His voice had lost the hurt edge it had just had, replaced by something a little more curious.

Jacob bit hard on the side of his mouth and nodded. Dekel needed to know, even if he was ten, he was a clone, and this was a war against the clones. The ShinRa, after Kadaj and his brothers were dead, decided all clones were dangerous, unstable and 'failed experiments.' A new president had come to power at ShinRa after Rufus had gone away with the Turks on some secret mission. Rufus had never intended on giving away his power, but the man who he had bestowed the temporary place of president with turned out to have his own agenda. Now there was an ethnic cleansing of all those born from Jenova cells. The clones were killed in such a way that they had no hope of going to the Lifestream and could therefore never be reborn. They were simply erased.

AVALANCHE of course didn't agree with this. Cloud took it once again upon himself to put a stop to the government's plans. He and a few teammates were always off finding clones, bringing them back to Seventh Heaven, and then off to the City of the Ancients. There was no safe place for the clones, nowhere was safe from the hate of the ShinRa and the brainwashed people supporting them. That and there were so many clones, there wasn't a place to keep them all. So, to ensure their safety, they were destroyed and sent to the Lifestream where Aeris would meet them. The clones were not killed inhumanly, Cloud and the others tried to explain. They were lead to a pit of water collected from the _ Cleansing Rains _ that fell to destroy the geostigma, and there their bodies would disappear. Then they could be reborn.

Many people said this was just as bad as what the ShinRa were doing, but Cloud was convinced it was the right thing to do. He never said why, but he was so sure about it, so dead sure, it was hard to doubt him. And now the ShinRa had found Cloud out, him and everyone associated with him, and if captured, everyone would be jailed or executed.

Dekel blinked a few times at Jacob, waiting.

"We have to leave here." Jacob said slowly, quietly, trying to keep some order in his voice despite the chaos behind his words.

"They coming for me?" Dekel knew about the situation. Jacob and the others had tried to hide the truth from him so that he may live his life without fear, but he found out. Somehow, he had.

"Yeah, all of us." Dekel's face went sour.

"You're not sending me to the Lifestream!" He shouted, shaking his head. "I don't care what you say, I won't go!" He wiped his eyes before they started leaking again. He was already pushed to his limits. Jacob draped an arm around Dekel's shoulder, and the boy let it rest there. "She says it's wrong, Jakey. And if She says it's wrong, it is." Jacob had no idea who this 'She' was. Dekel often brought Her up and never said who, but Jacob put it off as just nightmares. That was until Marlene claimed that when Dekel talked of this strange woman, she could often feel something moving as though there was somebody there next to her, but she had trouble explaining it. This freaked Jacob out, and now whenever this woman was brought up in conversation, he had a habit of looking over his shoulder as though looking for her.

"You won't." Jacob said, leading him away down the stairs and glancing over to look into Dekel's room. "You won't."


	3. Chapter 3

Jake placed the candle on an old stool, brushing his dusty hands. He had finally found the manhole down into the sewers after thirty minutes of rummaging in the basement. Of course it was in the very back and covered in old furniture and dead bugs. Grime was caked under Jacob's short and stubbly fingernails, giving them a dark and murky color, as dark the manhole he had just pried up.

Wiping his hands on his pants first, Jacob squatted by the manhole and dug his fingers into the cracks, lifting up the heavy metal. It took a lot of muscle and strain, more than Jacob thought he had in him. All the vessels in his arms were popped as he struggled to lift up the giant circle of iron, and slowly it groaned its way to freedom.

The manhole made a grating sound along the concrete floor as Jacob dragged it out of the way and placed it a few feet back. He went to the hole and peered down; there was no light. Only the inky black darkness and stinking sewer smell greeted the small candle light flickering near by. Jacob wrinkled his nose, leaning over to feel the iron bars of the ladder leading downwards. The kids were going to hate this. Half of them would refuse to go down or pee their pants trying.

He straightened up and hurried off to the upper levels, and he hoped dinner was done. The faster he got through this, the better.

"Guys!" Jacob sprinted into the main part of the house bringing a musty and moldy stench with him. "Hey, everyone!" He shouted as he burst into the kitchen.

"Hi, Jakey!" Greeted a few little kids, waving as they lifted spoonfuls of chicken broth to their faces.

"You stink!" Said one boy, pinching his nose.

"Kid's right," Terace grinned, "you smell like you been rolling in the dirt."

"When you go digging in dirt you tend to smell like it." Jacob responded as politely as he could so as not to start a fight, but Terace had a way of digging under his skin with the simplest of phrases. "Forget that!" He waved his hands, shaking his head, not wanting to get off topic. "Marlene, hurry it up okay?"

"Right!" Marlene said, her voice rising in a note of panic. "Hurry it up kids!" She turned back to them, waving her hands to hurry up their eating. Just then there was a knock at the door. Denzel let his spoon splash into the soup in shock, eyes wide.

"Get them down now!" Jacob hissed and turned to head into the hall. "Forget dinner."

"Y-you heard him!" Marlene stood up, hands shaking violently. "Dinner's done."

"Why?" One protested, pouting and waving her spoon about. "I'm still hungry..."

"We're going an adventure." Marlene said as Denzel reached under the table and passed out a few weapons to the older kids. "A long one. We'll eat more later."

"Really? What kind of an adventure?" Marlene continued to coax and mother the children, keeping them calm as she and Terace took the front, Denzel the back, shoeing the lagging kids to hurry.

"Jacob!" Hissed Dekel. His face was whiter than normal, and his body shook all over. "Jacob, please-" he whispered.

"Go Dekel," Jacob said over his shoulder, the knocking continued. "I'm coming!" He shouted to the knocking.

"Jake! Don't make me-"

"Go," he hissed, "I'll be down soon. Follow Marlene. Do what she says." Jacob watched as Dekel's forlorn face disappeared around the corner. "Coming!" Jacob shouted again.

"This is ShinRa! Open up!" Jacob's breathing began to quicken. He had to buy time.

Carefully, Jacob opened the door so only his face popped out. He grinned widely at the two guards from before.

"Sorry, I'm busy cleaning up dinner... can you come back later...?" Jacobs voice was steady, and he marveled at how cool he sounded. Slowly he began to close the door, but a hand smacked around the corner, pulling it open.

"Got a few questions first," the one smirked. "before you rudely shut the door in our faces."

"Shoot," Jacob said, leaning against the wide open doorway, tucking his shaking hands into his pockets. "Gim'me your questions." He was trying to sound cool, collected, but his attitude didn't match the guilty look starting to spread along his face, his small burst of confidence now crumbling to nothing as the situation went on.

"When does Cloud Strife get back, boy? And I don't want any lying this time. We know he's here or will be soon."

"The neighbors confirm seeing him and some suspicious other characters a few months ago." The other said stiffly, giving Jacob a cool glance.

"So save us the trouble now and spill it." The first said, stepping into the doorway. Jacob backed up a step, feeling himself stumble slightly as he did.

"Sorry, I told you, I haven't seen him. If he is around, he's not around much." Jacob's face began to turn red.

"Look kid, you keep lying and we'll have you arrested. Tell us, where is Cloud? Him and all his friends and them hideaways."

"The reward is a fine one for turning him in." The other stared down his nose as he tempted Jacob.

"N-no! I don't know anything. I t-told you before, I don't know a Cloud." Jacob began to stutter again, and he knew his facade was falling apart. Not that he had much of one.

"Not much of a liar." The other lifted his hand and plunged it into Jacob's gut. Jake doubled over, retching up vomit as the heavy hand buried into his belly. The boy sank to his knees, coughing and gagging. "Want to try that again? Where is he?" The man took a handful of Jacob's hair and lifted his head to look up. "Where are the white-heads? And where are our smugglers?" Jacob shook his head furiously.

"Don't know!" He coughed out and the man's knee found its way into Jacob's stomach. Instantly, Jake lost all the air in his lungs, and he lay gasping on the ground, puke dribbling from his chin.

The man raised a foot to plant it into the boys spine, but the other soldier stopped him.

"Leave him there. Let's check this place out and then come back. He won't say anything if he's dead after all."

"Fine, but we'll be back, kid." The man lowered his foot and growled at Jacob, spitting down upon him. The men walked off, their feet clicking on the ground. Jacob lay, gasping in as much air as he could, forming a plan. He had to find the others, and fast, but couldn't yet. Not with these two in the house. How to distract them?

Jake's blood shot eyes darted around for a weapon of some sort, his own left in the kitchen.

_"Damn, now they'll know something is up without a doubt if they see that gun lying on the floor..."_ Jacob thought as he continued to flounder.

Jacob slowly lifted his bruised and battered body from the floor to sit on his knees. He began to wipe away the vomit clinging to his face with one hand while the other rubbed his stomach. A grimace formed over Jake's face as he touched a sore spot on his ribs.

_"__This is going to make travel difficult..."_ he thought bitterly as he touched the forming bruise.

The clatter of boots and upturning of chairs, the loud swearing and yelling, went from wall to wall and back again. Jacob let a small sigh pass through his teeth, wincing a little at a small burst of pain, and carefully he stood up.

A new emotion now stuck in the boy's heart; he wanted to save his home. Although he had a warm bed to return to on the other side of town, this was the only place in the world those orphans considered safe, and it was Jacob's job to keep it that way. He had been here for years now anyway, it was as much his home as the orphans'.

Jacob leaned his slightly shaking body against a wall, tried to look pathetic as he could, really weatherbeaten, and shouted out for the men.

"Alright!" He said in a feeble voice, a slight squeak catching him in the throat. "Alright." He panted and looked to the kitchen door with glazed eyes.

"What was 'at?" He heard a voice from behind the door. "What you yellin' on about now?" The two guards pushed the doors wide and marched out to meet Jacob.

"I'll-I'll tell you where Strife is. But promise you'll leave here without coming back. Leave the kids out of this I mean." Jacob glared meaningfully from one man to the other. A gleeful and almost greedy grin spread the first guard's face.

"You got yourself a deal. So tell us, where is Mr. Strife?" Jacob breathed in and out a few times, trying to settle his fluttering stomach and beating heart.

"Train station. They always come by train and hide out in one of the carts. They won't come out 'till night though, not until they're sure the cost is clear."

The first guard looked at his stiff backed friend to Jacob, as though trying to detect something, his eyes beadily darting from man to boy.

"Sounds alright." He said at last. His stiff backed friend stared hard at Jacob who tried as hard as he could, willed himself with all his might, not to drop that gaze. Slowly, the man nodded in agreement.

"Let's go. We'll be back with your reward boy-if, that is, if we find Cloud Strife. If not, your head is ours." The man jabbed a meaningful finger into Jacob's chest. Jake nodded in understanding, but said no more, not trusting himself to open his mouth.

"We'll be back." The first man said and nodded to his friend. "Let's get."

The two men left the house quickly.


	4. Chapter 4

It was a warm spring day outside. Birds called, bees hummed, and many winged butterflies merrily went from flower to flower. The grass and trees whispered in a light breeze, and the newly opened flowers sent fragrant smells into the hazy afternoon air.

A river swept through the small valley, a chocobo standing beside it, head bent towards the water. It dipped its beak into the cold liquid and drank great gulps, water running down from its mouth in greedy hastiness. The large and yellow bird became quite immersed in drinking the refreshingly cold water, so much so that it failed to notice a silent stalker from behind that he normally would have sensed. The beady black eyes of the chocobo grew glazed as though it were in deep thought, and lazily it twitched the large plumes on its tail, swatting away the blue-bottle flies.

Just then, the stalker emerged, rather clumsily because it stumbled and fell out beside the bird. One beady eye fell on the thing that fell beside it, and quickly the bird drew it's head up and gave a cry, startled and afraid. It ran off into the brush while the boy who had crept up behind shouted, "Wait, wait!"

"I told you!" Said another boy from behind the first. The second poked his head out from behind a boulder and came to stand over the other with folded arms. "I told you a _ zillion _ times, you got'ta be _ stealthy! _"

"I tried!" the other pleaded, eyes starting to swim. The first boy was a few years younger that the other, and not as experienced in chocobo hunting as his elder. "I did! I did." He crossed his arms and pouted, lower lip puckering up.

"Yeah," said the older boy while lowering himself to the miserable boy's level. He draped one arm over the boy's shoulders in a brotherly way, smiling down on him. "We'll try it again."

"We will?!" Exclaimed the younger boy, eyes instantly lighting up, a wide smile pushing dimples into the sides of his cheeks. The older boy affectionately ruffled the younger boy's blond almost white hair. "Hey!" the other giggled.

"I said we will, so yeah, we'll catch us another one!"

* * *

Jacob opened his eyes and stared groggily at the metal ceiling above him and then rubbed his eyes. He grimaced as he felt his body throb all at once and then let himself relax. It had been so long since he had dreamed about his brother...so why had he started now?

Jacob shook his head, feeling as though he had lost something or forgotten it back in Seventh Heaven or the sewers. He didn't know what, so he simply shook off the feeling against his better judgment.

He, Terace, Denzel, and Marlene had managed to get the kids through the sewers alright, alright enough that is. Many tears, protests, cries, shouts, frustration, and near loosing of people had gotten them all through okay. Not many monsters had attacked them down in the sewers, so they made good time. They had made it to Tifa and Cloud and the rest of the group in once piece before Cid arrived in the Highwind.

So once again it seemed, Cloud had dodged death. Jacob felt himself starting to take his good luck for granted, good luck for being with Cloud and sharing his ability to escape any pursuer, _ as one might see it. _ But that feeling of granted almost couldn't be helped.

As soon as he had set foot on the ship, Jacob had collapsed with fatigue, and to his surprise and indignation, nobody had bothered with him; they simply left him lying there. Not even his band of fans had bothered to wait for him to come to or insisted to somebody that he needed a bed. _"They're all probably bothering Cid to play with the ship's dashboard anyway..."_ Jacob thought dully, feeling a little uncared for.

He ran one hand across his forehead and let it rest there a minute with his eyes shut tight, imaging his brother's smiling and watery face. It was so close, so close in his mind's eye he could almost touch him, hear him, and speak to him. A longing erupted in Jacob, and he felt a sudden shock pass through him. What would his parents do without him? They would be incredibly worried.

Jacob sat bolt upright, and he felt a little panicked, but stopped feeling so once a wave of dizziness took him. Jake swayed slightly, green lights flashing in his eyes, temples pounding which made him cross-eyed, and then the feeling passed. His brow knitted itself into thought. Did Tifa tell his parents where he was? Jake knew very well they couldn't handle another son _gone_.

He stood up, swayed slightly, and blinked his tired eyes a few times to try and wake himself up. Head full of sticky fog, Jacob made his way in the direction of the control room. He wanted to run but knew full well that would only make him more tired and slower than he already was. If they came under ShinRa attack, Cloud would need all the help he could get in fending them off, and although he was a rather lousy fighter, Jacob's assistance would be required.

He walked briskly instead of running and approached the doors to the captain's control room. Not to his surprise, almost everyone was already there, kids and all.

"Uncle Cid," said one little girl, "please uncle Cid, can we have a turn driving the ship?" She tugged at his arm with her tiny button sized hand.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Cid called back at them. "Call me _Captain_!" He barked through a mouthful of toothpick and grinned over his shoulder. It was a grin Jacob had seen many times on Terace's face, and somehow had come to dislike this from-eye-to-eye hearty smile.

"Well hey there sleepy head!" Yuffie called to Jacob with a happy little wave. Jacob meekly waved back, all the while hating the movement of the ship. Usually Yuffie was sick on ships, but today she seemed fine, obviously full of some motion sickness medicine that Jacob was starting to need.

"Sorry we left you there," Marlene whispered to him after coming up and greeting him with a hug, "but you're too heavy to pick up."

"Could have woken me up though. I'm stiff all over now." Jacob cracked his hands out of bad habit and watched Marlene flinch a little. She hated the habit. "Sorry," Jacob immediately stopped.

"Not our problem if you can't get yer lazy butt out'ta bed." Terace laughed at him from a chair and spun around in it once. Denzel was close to Terace in another chair, arms crossed. Cloud sat near Cid and the gang of children, ignoring both as he sat rather thoughtfully out into space. Tifa stood beside him, arms crossed, a smile in place as Jacob turned to look at them. Barret said nothing in greeting, but stared at Jacob with a warning look. He didn't trust Jacob as far as he could through him, not when he was with Marlene that is. Jacob was used to this.

Red XIII was curled up in a corner, one eye open surveying nothing in particular. Vincent, as usual, was nowhere to be found, most likely on another mission from Cloud. It was common for him to be doing something not long after one job was done. The man, secretive and enigmatic, had an agenda and took ** all ** work seriously. He intimidated Jacob to no end.

Cait Sith was also missing, most likely on deck watching out for ShinRa soldiers. There were a few other members of Seventh Heaven, but most were off on some mission or in hiding from the ShinRa. A few had been captured. It was always a blow when a member was caught and found out by the government, and every time a little more anxiety would grow in their place...like a weed in the sidewalk. One more thing to step over and around as you walked along.

"Where are we headed?" Jacob asked Marlene.

"City of the Ancients for now." She said with a careful look at Tifa as she did so. "At least until we know what to do."

"Where are the Clones?" Jacob asked once he knew this answer.

"Sleeping. It was a long trip to Midgar after all." Marlene smiled softly. "They need some rest. We told Cloud to get some rest too, but he wouldn't hear of it. Tifa was all fussing after him about it."

"Hmmm-" Jacob thoughtfully hummed.

"Hey," Denzel approached Jacob and tugged at his sleeve a little.

"Yeah?" Jacob asked, noting the look of puzzlement in Denzel's eyes.

"Is Dekel with you by any chance? I thought he would be..." Denzel's voice trailed off as Jacob shook his head.

"No...why?" Jacob stared suspiciously at Denzel who looked a little worried.

"Nobody has seen him since we got out of the sewers. He's probably just hiding-!" Denzel added quickly as he saw the sudden look of panic in Jacob's face.

"You haven't thought of looking?!" Jacob's voice began to rise.

"Shhhhh," soothed Marlene, beating her hands gently against the air, "Denzel's right...he most likely is off doing his own thing. You know he hates being around loads of people."

"Is Tifa worried?" Jacob asked, crossing his arms, not wanting to hear some sort of excuse. Marlene looked over her shoulder.

"She, er, doesn't know we haven't seen him, but I bet she's noticed he's not here. Of course she has." Marlene could tell they had slipped up in not telling Tifa. Pink patches flushed in her cheeks. "I'll go tell her now he's not with you." She quickly said, fidgeting uncomfortably in Jacob's worry, anger, and frustration.

"Um," Denzel squeaked hurriedly, "I'll go get looking then." He hurried off. Jacob looked around the room, hoping to see the boy somewhere there, but knew he wasn't. A horrible feeling began to build up in Jacob's chest. He was positive something had happened, but didn't know what.

As Jacob's face screwed up in thought, horrible worried thoughts, his eyes drifted to Tifa, now closely listening to a frantic Marlene. Cloud even leaned in, and Jacob watched him mutter a swear under his breath.

"What is it?!" Barret's voice boomed out as he approached Tifa, his daughter, and Cloud. Red XIII followed slowly, interested in the sudden change of atmosphere. Jacob turned and left, unable to watch anymore faces turn into pools of panic. He left to the sound of Barret's loud exclamation, and the sound of Red XIII growling low in frustration.

Jake looked around, thinking to himself that as soon as he found Dekel, he was going to wring the kid's little neck. How could he just run off like that?

Jacob paused in his thought process, pausing as he searched for the child as well. What if he _ hadn't _ run off on his own? What if something had grabbed him in the sewers and Jacob, preoccupied with the other kids, hadn't seen? Or, what if the ShinRa and snuck up behind the group and kidnapped the boy right out from under Jake's nose?

A clammy sweat broke out over Jacob, and he swallowed hard, face paling instantly as his heart began a two step in his chest.

Just then the door Jake had just left out of clicked open, and Marlene was running out with Tifa at her heals. Marlene sprinted to Jacob and immediately began talking before Jacob had even a second to think of anything to say.

"We're going to start a search," she announced, her face and eyes gleaming with confidence, slightly out of breath, "and I'll start up on deck."

"You sure you haven't seen him?" Tifa said, her voice quiet, eyes not so confident, but instead they were serious and suspicious. She obviously knew something was up, and Jacob highly doubted Marlene really felt the way she looked. Marlene had a knack for knowing when something was amiss, and now it seemed, something was. She was merely being kind to Jacob, and he hated that fact. He wanted the truth, that way he could act on it as fast as possible.

"Yes," Jacob said, slowly and carefully, thinking and rethinking over the last things he saw before falling asleep, "I'm sure." His shoulders sank a little at this. Tifa seemed to shrink a little too. Her face set, she nodded to Marlene, and the two walked off, passed Jacob and up the stairs. Jacob watched them guiltily. Dekel had been _ his _ responsibility. Jacob's responsibility. So had all the children. But especially Dekel.

Jacob stared down at his feet, wanting nothing more than to kick something very hard, however painful it might be. He didn't however, not yet at least. With a heavy swallow which drowned at least some of the uneasiness, Jacob set himself to searching.


	5. Chapter 5

A chill crept up Jacob's spine, the icy air biting at his back as he stood on the outskirts of the Forgotten City, breathing in the night air, chest heaving. Sweat trickled down his face, running the rim of his eyes, nostrils, falling from his chin to dot his shirt below. His lip was even bleeding a little where he had banged it against a table, dried blood in his chin. The boy's eyes blazed, an anxious weight pressing down heavily on his chest, so heavy he thought it would burst. Each breath he drew in made the anxious weight grow in heaviness, like an over inflated balloon that just wouldn't pop.

Dekel was nowhere to be found. _Nowhere._

Jacob was in a mess of emotion. He didn't know where one thought started and another ended; it was all a sticky mess inside of him. Rather than deal, he pushed all his worries, worries of Dekel lost, captured, _ gone, _ from his head. It was too much to deal with after crawling around in the sewers, nearly being caught and found out. Everything was too overwhelming.

_ Dekel couldn't be gone. He couldn't be. _ Jacob stemmed these thoughts before they snowballed, but still didn't move. He continued to watch the outline of the City of the Ancients in the darkness. His feet didn't want to move.

"Jake?" Somebody was behind him, pressing cold fingers against his arm, trying to somehow give him some sort of comfort. The voice was low, soft, gentle, but he shook it off. "Jake, come on." Marlene pushed his arm gently from behind, coaxing him to move. "Everyone is waiting, Jacob." He saw her face out of the corner of his eye, her eyes just as anxious as his fluttering stomach, her round cheeks pale and peaky in the moon light, but blurred around the edges.

Her hand meaningfully tightened, squeezing something like strength into him, and he took a step forward. Then another. And another.

"It's okay," she whispered, her breath rising in a mist as she followed to keep in pace with Jacob. "We'll find him. We will, and he's tough, right?" She smiled, dimples piercing into her skin. "He can hide himself good. He's okay."

Jacob ran his tongue over his teeth, biting back words he'd rather not admit to thinking. _ Dekel was my responsibility. They all were. It's my fault this is happening...if anything happens._ He let out a long sigh through his nose, releasing some of his tension as he did so, but not dissipating it by any means.

"Come on," she murmured again, and took the lead, carefully taking Jacob's hand and walking him to the old city, like a mother guiding a child.

Jacob failed to notice the clammy sweat on her hand and the cool and shaky nervousness of her touch as they walked, his mind a whir of other thoughts and concerns; but, she noticed how his shook unconsciously, the sweat trickling between his fingers, and the coolness of his touch, and she understood. Understood that nothing she was saying or doing was helping him. He was battling something she could not help with. Not at the moment. So, she led him in silence, finding simply guiding him along enough for her...

* * *

A gentle light pressed against Jacob's eyelids, closed. He left his eyes tightly shut, half wishing to go back to sleep. It had taken him a moment to remember what the dead weight pressing against his ribs was from, but soon he began to tie images, thoughts, and words together, remembering each event as though watching it on a movie screen.

Yesterday felt like a dream, everything skipping around, rushed, and hard to keep up with. His mind hadn't processed it at the time, and now it was, mulling everything over.

The city's old streets, houses resembling large shells as if taken from a beech, and mysterious atmosphere, all failed to impress Jacob the night before. His mind had seemingly shut down, and the only thoughts he could form were of finding his sort-of brother.

Of course he couldn't act on the impulse. Tifa and pushed him off to bed, saying he had had enough adventure for one day. Jake had half expected her to hate him for loosing Dekel, but she didn't. She smiled, the same confident smiled, and shoved him gently in the back towards his temporary home.

Jake had looked back at her, blankly, not able to think of anything to say. In his present mind, Jacob pictured the scene; Tifa's slight smile, Marlene's hand still wrapped up in his own, a few smaller children crying, and Denzel hanging nervously at Tifa's side. Jacob remembered that moment clearly, although he wasn't exactly sure why. Something had caught his attention, something in the way Tifa had looked at him as though everything would work out. Something like hope...

"Jake!" Came a voice followed by running footsteps as somebody entered the house. "Jake!" The footsteps pounded against the wood floor, banging against Jacob's ear drums painfully hard. Jake's eyes opened wide, and he was little surprised and startled by his visitor.

It was Denzel, he had just come into view, breathing hard, obviously just having run the entire way here. He was bent double, hands on his knees, head down as he sucked in air. Jacob sat up, blinking in the sunlight groggily.

"What is it?" Jacob said weakly, rubbing his tousled and tangled head. Denzel took a moment, still breathing hard, but obviously impatient to speak.

"C-Cloud...wants...y-you" He managed to rasp out.

"What for?" Jacob said nervously, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He didn't like Cloud much; they had never seen eye to eye, and there was something Jacob envied about Cloud, but Jacob would never admit that.

Jacob stared in puzzlement at Denzel, and their eyes met for a moment before Denzel, almost embarrassedly, dropped his gaze to stare at his feet.

"Don't know...didn't ask." Denzel mumbled, feeling stupid for not asking, pink creeping into his cheeks.

"Guess I'll find out when I get there." Jacob tried to sound interested, as though he was curious as to what Cloud was summoning him for, but it was half hearted. Denzel picked up on this.

"S-sorry to bother you. I didn't know you were still sleeping..." his voice trailed away sheepishly, and he twisted his hands behind his back, kicking a small pebble on the wooden floor so it rattled away.

"No... don't worry about it." Jacob said dismissively. "You were only doing what you were told to do. My fault for being lazy and not getting up sooner." Jacob grinned and got out of bed. Denzel smiled back, relaxing a bit once he realized he hadn't done anything wrong.

Jacob dressed without another word, and Denzel left, saying he and Marlene were off to explore the rest of the city.

Jake pulled on some pants, gray and a little dreary looking, and took a shirt up robotically. He felt as though he was just going through the motions of a morning routine, and he wasn't looking forward to the day. There was no way he could go and save Dekel now, not with Midgar crawling with ShinRa looking for him and the others. Tifa and explained that last night. The words hadn't sunken in until now, however.

Jake gave his shirt a final tug, trying to stretch out the wrinkles, but gave up after an ominous ripping sound. Quickly, he left the house, hoping against hope something Cloud had to say might make him somehow feel a little better. He was sure, however, that Cloud wouldn't do that in the slightest.

* * *

The water was cool, rippling faintly in a soft wind that whisked by. The reflection of trees flickered back and forth in the water, their colors meshing into one collage of images. The pool was isolated from the rest of the city, sitting alone under the canopy of trees. A once empty fountain now held water, the old stone weathered and cracked, but it didn't leak. It was a large fountain, nine to ten feet in diameter, and was about five feet deep. It was more of a swimming pool that a fountain, but there was a second level to it, less than half the size of the first pool.

Jacob stood on one side of the fountain, absentmindedly biting a finger nail as he watched each clone, one by one, enter the pool. Cloud stood beside the small line, nodding to each one as they entered the water and dissolved as though they were smoke evaporating into the sky.

It was with both horror and fascination that Jake watched these people vanish. Some looked fearful, some angry, some relieved as they stepped over the wall, men and women and children alike, and promptly began to dissipate. They looked so...so human, it scared Jacob a little. He wasn't sure what he expected these people to look or be like, after all, he had lived with a clone for years, but he had still expected them to be sprouting extra arms or spewing venom. But no, they were people, just like him, and suddenly Jake knew why Dekel had been so against AVALANCHE's ideas.

The last person, a man standing six feet high and with broadly built shoulders, stepped into the pool. He turned around as he did and gave Cloud a look, a prideful look of dignity and esteem, his hands clenched and white knuckled. He was afraid. But before that fear could show in his face, the man was gone. Lost to the air around him.

Jacob watched for moments, mouth slightly open, heart pounding heavily against his ribs. His body felt a little weak, a little limp, and his mouth had become very dry. It was then that Cloud noticed Jacob standing there like a statue, rooted still, watching the place where the man had just been.

Cloud watched Jacob for a second, seeing if he'd react or say something. The boy didn't.

"You came fast." Cloud said, walking slowly to stand in front of Jake, his face impassive, blue eyes staring into Jacob's like an x-ray. Jake raised his own gaze in time, not quite meeting Cloud's.

"Is...is that why you brought me here?" Jacob managed to say, his mouth not moving much, voice low, very low and strained. "To...to see...that...?"

Cloud shook his head and leaned his weight on one leg, folding his arms. "No," he answered, "no, I hadn't expected you to be so quick."

"You mean I wasn't supposed to see...?" Jacob sounded a little contemptuous as his thoughts went back to the broad shouldered man. Cloud gave a shrug.

"No, I'll be honest, you weren't. But never mind." Cloud sighed gruffly, glancing back over his shoulder at the fountain for a second. Cloud had a ragged and haggard look on his face as though there was something pressing for him to do, or something was on his mind, but he was not about to tell Jacob why. Jake watched as the man's face grew darker, the pale blue eyes distant.

Then the man's attention darted back to Jacob.

"I guess you want to know why I got you down here." It wasn't a question. Cloud's tone was even, knowledgeable, and as though he wanted to get right to the point. Jacob nodded back. "I'm taking you with me to find the Turks." He said outright to Jacob.

The boy blinked once or twice, and raised one eyebrow in confusion.

"What?" He said, not understanding at all.

"You and Marlene and Terace are going to come with myself and Barret to find the Turks. Tifa's idea." He added shortly.

"Wait-w-why, when? How?" Jacob rambled, blinking furiously a few times, brow furrowed as he tried to figure out Cloud.

"Tifa thinks you need something to do rather than sit around a mope."

"I'm not moping!" Jacob defensively snapped back.

"I call sleeping in 'till noon moping." Jacob didn't answer, feeling a little ashamed. "Anyway, it'll give you something to do."

"What about Dekel?" Jacob immediately said. "I'm going after him as soon as I can." Jake was stubborn, and he glared at Cloud meaningfully.

"And soon isn't about to happen. We'll find him when it's safe, and until then, you're coming with me." Cloud had obviously expected some friction. Jake stared at the ground, eyes drifting to the side, and he slowly nodded.

"Whatever." He muttered, crossing his arms.

"So," Cloud started again, "we leave tomorrow to the Icicle Inn up north. That's where they're hiding, or around that area at least. We'll be gone for a while, so be ready."

"Ready for what?" Jake looked up at Cloud, reproach and apprehension in his eyes. Cloud gave a soft sigh and started to walk off.

"Anything." He called over his shoulder. "Tell Marlene for me will you? Terace should know... I have to make a call." Jacob took that last line to mean, _ leave me alone, _ in the language of Cloud.

It seemed as though Jacob had little say in what came next on this journey. Cloud had spelled his fate out in a few brief words, and Jake had little to do with it.

As Jacob slowly, thoughtfully, and moodily, walked back to the city to find Marlene, wherever she and Denzel had gotten off to, Jake began to wonder what Cloud would do if he simply didn't come. If he simply went off by himself to find Dekel and bring him back. Would the man be angry?

It was a sorely tempting thought, but Jacob pushed it from his mind. He knew all to well he would need help breaking back into the city, and so his rescue mission would have to be put on hold.

"Jay-jay!" It was Laurie, a little blond seven year old with a few other little devils at her sides. "Jay-jay!" she repeated, her small footsteps beating away at the ground as she and her friends ran up to him.

Jake spun about, coming out of his own head once he heard the sound of his name, or nickname more like.

"Hey there!" He grinned down at Laurie who beamed right back up, but she nervously tugged at one golden pigtail on her head.

"Um," she started, shuffling her feet a little, "can...can you come and play with me?"

"With us!" An eight-year-old boy named Peter corrected her.

"Us!" She glared at Peter for correcting her, and then continued. "Please, Jay-jay?"

"Can't right now, sorry Laurie." He looked around briefly, feeling agitated about being held up. And although the children were touching a few nerves at the moment, pestering him to play when there were more important things to be doing, he didn't feel comfortable telling them to get going and leave him all the hell alone. He couldn't say that to children, and it wasn't in his nature. Normally. "I'm looking for Marlene, you seen her?"

"Lenie? Looking for Marlenie?" One very tiny four year old said, excited. Jake nodded.

"Um, I saw her..." Laurie paused for thought, face tight and screwed up as she began to heavily rack her brains.

"She was by some old temple thing." Shrugged Peter.

"I was about to say that!" Laurie snapped, her voice whining, and she stamped her foot, mouth pouting.

"Thanks guys," Jacob said with a small smile. Laurie pouted up at him, so he quickly added. "Maybe you could tell me where the temple is, Laurie." Her face lit up at once, and she stuck her tongue out at Peter who rolled his eyes.

"That way!" She pointed to her right with zealous, taking all the pride she could in helping Jacob.

"Hey, thanks!" Jacob rubbed the little girl's head in thanks, and she giggled.

"Stop it Jay-jay!"

"I'll see you later!" He waved at them and ran off quickly, smile fading as he ran, loosing himself in thought once more.


	6. Chapter 6

However vague Laurie's directions were, Jacob was able to eventually find the "old temple thing," Peter had told him to go to. The boy skidded into the old building, slipping in a puddle of water on the floor. He stumbled, tripped, and fell, hands diving out to catch his fall. His palms scrapped along the cracked ground, pebbles grating themselves along the bare skin, cutting it until it bled.

His chin too smacked the ground with enough force to cut it, but his hands saved him from further injury. He moaned in pain, lying on his stomach, slowly pulling his cut up hands to chest protectively where he began to rub them together, nursing them instinctively.

Jacob's chin dribbled speckles of crimson to the stony ground below, the tiny cuts imbedded in the skin letting small beads of blood gather and fall.

"Jacob!" He heard a familiar voice ring out over the temple. There was a fast beating of feet, two pairs, along the ground. "Jake?! What happened?" Marlene called out in worry, black hair tossing around behind her. Denzel was at her heals, and soon over took her, reaching Jacob first.

"You okay?" He asked, crouching down on his knees to see Jacob better.

"Don't worry," Jacob said, pushing himself up and wiping his bleeding chin with the back of his hand. "I'll live." He grinned, although rather sheepishly. His haste had made him foolish, and in knowing this, he flushed red.

"You're bleeding," Marlene promptly stated, stooping down as well. Without Jacob's consent, she tore a little bit away from the hem of her dress, wet it with her tongue, and pressed it against his chin, pressing in, face concentrated on clotting the blood.

"Really," Jacob peered down his nose to look at the cloth pressed hard against his face, "you don't need to do that. It's nothing."

"Well, even nothing can becoming something." She said, voice full of concentration, her tongue poking out slightly between her lips. "I don't want infection to set in." She glanced briefly up at Jacob, face serious as though infection was totally possible.

"I really don't think that's going to happen. It's a small cut, don't bother." Jacob pushed her hand away, but she insisted.

"At least let me clot it! You're bleeding all over the place." Despite herself, she smiled a little and shook her head, dabbing the cloth again at him. Jacob let her, giving into the battle before it began. She would win anyway.

"S-so," Denzel started, eyes peeling away from Marlene's hand and Jacob's chin. Jacob hid his hands behind his back, deciding it was better not to worry Marlene any more than she already was.

"Yeah?" Jacob asked while making sure his hands were out of sight.

"Why'd you come in here so fast? I mean, you were running…" Denzel looked puzzled and curious, eyes widening a bit as they stared like sponges into Jacob, soaking up a wanted answer.

"O-oh! Right!" Jacob remembered his reason for coming in the first place and started a little, surprised he could even forget it. But, he was slightly glad that he had fallen. Ironically, he felt better for it, but emotionally, not physically.

Marlene lowered the cloth a bit so Jacob could talk easier, her eyes ponderous and mouth forming a slight frown as she listened interestedly.

"Cloud, erm, is taking us, by us I mean Marlene, Terace, and I, to find the Turks tomorrow." Jacob shrugged a little, feeling awkward as for how to start the conversation off, so he got right to the point. Marlene raised an eyebrow, and Denzel shrunk back onto his butt, putting his hands out behind him to support his weight, but was quiet.

"W-what?!" Marlene stammered, blinking a few times, brow furrowed. Jacob nodded a few times, looking from Denzel to Marlene.

"I'm serious! Cloud just sent me to tell you, Marlene, that we're leaving tomorrow to find the Turks. Your dad's coming too, just so you know."

"But why so suddenly?!" She exclaimed, sitting back too, dropping the torn dress piece in her lap as she stared at the floor for a moment in confusion. "We've only just got here."

"Yeah," Jake said, moving himself into a more comfortable position, Indian style, "I know it's a little weird."

Denzel was still quiet, eyes distant, staring at the cracked a slightly bloody floor, jaw working and chewing away at his tongue. He raised a finger to bite on a nail instead.

"When did Cloud tell you this?" Marlene pestered on, leaning forward in her curiosity.

"Just now, well, maybe fifteen minutes. He called me down, and he was in the middle of something, Sending the Clones off to the Life Stream at the time."

"You saw it then? The _ actual _ Sending?" Her voice gasped in air, her words now barely audible as though she had struck on taboo, like she was afraid to ask.

"I did," Jacob grimly confirmed, "and let me tell you, it wasn't nice to watch." He felt a small shiver run up his spine as he remembered the proud looking man disappearing to nothing. How was Sending that man humane?

Marlene stared at Jacob a moment, watching him, studying his face patiently, looking for something in his gaze.

"Why?" Marlene straightened herself up a little as she asked, brushing dirt off the lap of her dress.

"Why what?" Jacob was now the one looking puzzled.

"Why the Turks? Why them of all people?"

"…Dun'no…didn't ask Cloud. Slipped my mind to ask, actually." Jake sheepishly said, shifting a little uncomfortably. Of course he hadn't asked the most obvious question. Marlene nodded thoughtfully, eyes slowly drifting pensively to the stone floor, eyebrows knitted into a 'V' shape as her hands twisted in her lap unconsciously. Denzel fidgeted a little.

"Did, er," Denzel suddenly said. Jacob looked at the nervous boy, watching him stare at the side of Marlene's face as though pleading for something. "Did Cloud say anything about me coming?" Marlene looked up and at Jacob for a moment, then her eyes slid to Denzel.

Jacob thought back to the conversation, trying to remember, and slowly shook his head.

"No, sorry, I don't think he did…" Jacob muttered. Marlene looked surprised, but slightly lost for words, glancing between both boys.

"…oh." Denzel murmured, voice crest fallen. He slumped a little where he sat, looking tiny and brittle.

"I'm sorry, Denze." Jacob reached out a hand and gripped Denzel's shoulder. "I know you would want to come, but Tifa needs someone here." Denzel squirmed away from Jake's grasp, inching backwards hurriedly, and he stood up quite unexpectedly.

" 'Course she would need my help!" He snapped, an anger unknown to any present suddenly erupting. "But don't you go feeling sorry for me! No, never! Not for being left behind! I don't need your pity. Not poor, weak, and shy Denzel! Not me who gets left behind when all the action takes place! Well, I'll tell you something, I _ can _ watch my back, I'm just as good as any of you, and somebody had better see that! I'm _ not _ a kid!" His voice filled the room, ceiling to wall, echoing endlessly.

The boy towered over both Marlene and Jacob, rising to his full height as though to intimidate them, fists balled up at his sides. There was a pause, Marlene opening her mouth as though to say something, but Denzel wouldn't have it. He turned around and raced off, burst through the temple doors, and was out of sight.

"D-Denzel!" Marlene got to her feet and shouted after him, making as though to go after him. Jacob stood up too and caught her arm, tightly gripping it.

"Leave him," Jacob nervously whispered, holding her squirming body so she couldn't get away.

"No!" Marlene tugged at her arm, feet trying to rush off after her friend. Jake bared down, digging his own feet into the ground, forgetting about his bloody hands which were around Marlene's arm. "We're his friends! He needs us!"

"No, not now." Jacob looked at the doors Denzel had just ran through, eyes a little glassy. He shook his head. "Stay for a bit. He's upset and needs to cool it."

"But Jake!" She rounded on him, voice incredulous.

"Really, let him be," he said, trying to beat down the angry look now blazing in her eyes, "Dekel does this all the-" Jacob stopped short, a vein pulsing in his head, a faint ringing in his ears. Marlene suddenly lowered her gaze, arm relaxing in his grip, and sighed softly.

Jacob stood there, awkward, lost for words, and gradually, clumsily, let her arm go. "It's okay, if you need to go, go." He muttered under his breath. Marlene was quiet, staring at the bloody hand imprint on her forearm. Slowly, she shook her head, a tiny smile pinching the sides of her lips.

"I'm going to help you find him." She softly declared, raising her gaze to meet his, a gentle boldness seizing her.

"Huh?" Jacob blankly answered and stared back, shaking his head slightly. "Who?"

"Who do you think?" She folded her arms over her chest. "And Denzel is coming." Her voice was definite. "That's final."

"But we can't just take off!" Jacob exclaimed, waving his hands around violently, blood shooting off in every direction.

"And we won't!" Marlene snapped back, a little insulted that Jake thought she hadn't thought this through. "Listen," she hissed in his ear in an undertone, leading Jacob away by the elbow. He craned his head next to hers to hear her better.

"We'll go off and find the Turks first." she began, her voice fast and quiet, already out of breath due to her excitement, "We can stay with Cloud for a while. It's best to let Midgar's turmoil die down a bit. Once the time is right, we can catch a train and go to Mideel. I hear that's where everyone is going once they're done here. We can get Denzel and then head to Midgar and start our search there." She gazed up at Jacob, searching for his approval, but she couldn't help the slightly smug and proud look forming on her face, twisting her lips into a slight smile.

"You're crazy!" Were the first words to come tumbling out of his mouth. Her face fell a little bit. "And besides, it's my fault Dekel is gone." He shuffled his feet a bit, tugging his arm out of Marlene's grasp, and he moved a few steps away from her. "I-I told him I'd protect him, see? It's my life that should be on the line, not yours." Marlene heaved a great sigh and cast her gaze to the heavens.

"It's our fault too!" She came to stand by Jacob and gently touched his shoulder. He didn't shake off her touch. "Look, Jake, it was my responsibility as much as yours. Nobody blames you and you alone! And so, I have just as much right to get him back as you. So does Denzel."

Jacob stared at her, really stared, mouth slightly open, feeling a little bit like a fish out of water. Her face was so dead set, eyes burning so passionately at him, cheeks a little flushed. A small grin slid across Jacob's face, spreading wider and wider, going from ear to ear. He wanted to hug her.

"Marlene, you're wonderful!" She beamed back.

"I know I am!"

"But, wait, what about Terace?" Jacob inquired as the thought struck him. Marlene gave Jacob a dark look, cocking her eyebrows as if to say, 'you're kidding, right?'

"Too immature to come." She said as if that settled the matter. Jacob slowly shook his head.

"If we're breaking into Midgar, we'll someone who knows their way around weapons. He's our best shot! I can't fire a gun-" Marlene cut Jacob off.

"So learn!" She spat. "He's not coming and that's final."

Jacob shifted his weight uncomfortably, looking doubtful. "Good luck hiding the plan from him. He's reckless but sharp."

"Maybe." She shrugged, and pushed the topic away from Terace. "Come on, let's go find Denzel and give him the plan. He'll want to know. And let's fix those hands up while we're at it."

"Whatever you say." The two walked out of the temple.


End file.
